But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
—Luke 10:40
In the middle of rush hour traffic, I noticed a mosquito buzzing around my head. Already frustrated from my hectic day, I come to a screeching halt at a red light. Yes, this is my chance to seize the pest.
All of a sudden, the pesky varmint started using my head for target practice. He’d build up speed and dive right at my ear. So, I waved my hands in the air trying to swat the thing. No luck. Then I’d take another whack close to my ear, but still no success. Finally, I see him buzzing right in front of my face. This is my moment of victory. I feel it. With eagerness and determination, I quickly smack my hands together and claim the victory. I wave my fist into the air and say, “Yes, I got you!”
Then it happened. I glanced over at the car next to me and noticed a strange look on the woman’s face. In no time flat, her facial expression changed from a sour look to laughter.
Embarrassed, I smiled and waved before turning my head. A smirk emerged just thinking about the incident. Prior to this mosquito moment my attitude was negative and cranky. But this diversion opened the door for a different outlook to my day.
Driving away from the scene, a thought emerged. Maybe, somehow, this experience brought a smile to that person and anyone else who observed my actions. In fact, I started praying for God to use my situation to bring the driver joy. It may sound funny to pray for something so trivial, but I believe God uses life experiences to remind us to keep focused on Him no matter what the situation.
PRAYER CHALLENGE
Look for the diversions the Lord uses to bring a smile to your face. Ask Him to remind you to stay focused on Him, so you keep things in perspective. When experiencing a bad day, look for how God provides ways to move you from focusing on the situation to looking for Him through the situation.
On the flip side, you might be the one God uses to help someone make it through her day. Let’s say you are checking out at the grocery store. The cashier has a sour look on her face as she scans your groceries. You are faced with a choice—you can respond back with an unpleasant attitude, or you can pray for her, smile, and give her a positive word of encouragement. You might be the diversion God uses to move her from focusing on herself to thinking about Jesus.
